One of the most popular accessories for trucks and recreational vehicles is a truck box used to store and secure a variety of tools and other items in the bed of the vehicles. There are a number of different types of truck boxes, including cross-over boxes, side mount boxes, chest boxes, top mount boxes, RV boxes and others. Each truck box is typically formed of aluminum tread plate, and comprises a front wall, a back wall, a bottom wall and opposed end walls which are interconnected to define a hollow interior. The truck box interior is closed by a top lid that is pivotal on one or more hinges, usually with the assistance of gas springs. In many truck box designs, latch mechanisms connected by an operating rod are provided to maintain the top lid in a closed and locked position to secure the contents of the box. The latch mechanisms and operating rod may be protected from damage by a rail located along the front wall of the box.
Depending upon the types of tools or other items to be stored in the box, it is advantageous to provide separate storage areas within the box interior. This has been achieved in past designs by providing the box with drawers, shelves, compartments defined by vertically extending panels and similar structures. Drawers and shelves typically extend across the entire width of the box, e.g. from the front wall to the back wall, and may also span the length of the box between the opposed end walls. The compartments noted above may be formed by inserting panels into vertical slots formed in the front and back walls of the box, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,691, but like the drawers and shelves such compartments extend all the way across the width of the box. Very little flexibility is provided in the way interior space within the box may be arranged in such designs, which can create difficulties for those who have different types and sizes of items to be stored.